Improved snap-hook



UNITED STATES QPATENT OFFICE.

J. QUINN AND o. sUMMEEs, OE oOLIIMBUs, OHIO.

lMPRovED `SNAP-HOOK.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 56,265, dated July 10,1866.

To all 'whom it may conce/rn:

Beit known that we, JOSEPH QUINN and CHARLES SUMMERs, ot' Columbus, inthe county ot' Franklin and State of Ohio, have invented a new anduseful Improvement in Rein-Snaps; and wc do hereby declare that thefollowing is a full, clear, and exact description of the same, referencebeing had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of thisspecification, in which Figure l is a front view of our improved snap.Fig. 2 is aback view ot' the same, and Fig. 3 is a longitudinal sectionthereof.

Similar letters of reference in the several figures ot' the drawingsindicate corresponding parts.

Spring-snaps for reins and other parts of .harness have been constructedin various ways, and in some instances the tongue or retaining-stop ofthe hook has been made entirely of light spring metal, and when thusmade the general construction of the snap is such as to permit of thetongue being depressed by the thumb of the human hand. Snaps of thischaracter more closely resemble ours than any others which have beendevised 5 but there is an objection to this character of snaps, because,in the irst place, the spring-tongue is not durable and. irm enough tobear the direct wear and strain which comes upon it. In the second placethe tongue soon becomes ineffective for the purpose intended, and verysoon the snap is thrown aside as useless; and in the third place it isnecessary to have the tongue formed of spring metal which is quitestift' and strong, and, owing to this, it is inconvenient to Open thesnap by pressure of the thumb upon the spring-tongue. Especially is thisthe case when the spring-tongue has become corroded or impaired in itstemper from use and exposure.

To obviate these objections we have devised an improved mode ofconstructing the snap, which has its tongue operated by pressure of thehuman thumb upon its shank at a point between the hinge and curved'retaining end of the same, which improved construction is as follows:

We cast the shank A of the hook B of the snap with a bulge bothlaterally and vertically. The lateral bulge is indicated by the lettersa a, and the vertical upward bulge is indicated by the letter b. Thisbulging portion forms a nearly circular frame, as represented, therebeing an opening through it into which the shank of the tongue is tittedloosely and allowed vertical play. Just forward of this opening, but notintersecting it, an inclined slot, c, is cast in the hook, as shown, soas to admit the curved retaining part of the tongue into the hook of thesnap, and just in rear of the first-mentioned opening a pivotal rib, d,is cast on the shank ot' the snap, and beyond this rib a narrow slot, c,is cast in the shank, as represented.

The tongue G ot' the snap is made of cast metal, and its shank also hasan upward and a lateral bulge, h, given to it, so as to correspond withthe shank within which it is fitted, and also present a large surfacefor the thumb to bear upon in opening the snap. Forward of this bulgedportion the curved tongue C is cast on the shank in the form and mannerrepresented in the drawings, and in rear ot' said bulged portion astraight extension, f, with a semicircular depression, f', in it, iscast, as shown. This cast tongue is connected to the hook by having itscurved portion C passed through the inclined slot c into the hook, andits recessed extension ff fitted to the rib d, as shown. The two partsthus put together are held so by means of a light fiat spring, g,applied to the shank of the hook by a rivet, and binding with its freeend against the under side or rear surface of the extension f, asrepresented.

From -the foregoing description it will be seen that we make a snap-hookwith a strong cast-metal tongue, and employ a verv light spring toinsure the return of the tongue to a closed position when the pressureis withdrawn from it.

Our snap is operated by placing the thumb within the nearly circularopenin g and pressing against the bulged portion of the tongue. Thisarrangement for operating the tongue avoids any obstruction from thehand to the passage of the rein into and out of the snaphook.

We are aware that snaps made oi' two castmetal portions and with aspring for closing the tongue are not new.` We also are aware that atongue operated by a tingerlever or extension are not new; but webelieve a snap made of two cast-metal portions and with a. spring l As anew article of manufacture, the Within. for closing` the tongue in themanner We have described snap-hook, constructed, arranged, shown anddescribed is new, and a. decided und operating substantially assetforth. improvement over anything which has hereto- 1 fore been inventedfor the purpose intended. We do not claim the spring for closing thetongue. Witnesses What We claim as our invention7 and desire GEO. L.CONVERSE, to secure by Letters Patent, is- J. P. REMMY.

